Tag: self-development

So many businesses today are doing what they DO NOT want and confusing it as the right thing to do. Maybe they feel like they need employees to follow the 9-5 workday to achieve success. Perhaps they are doing things just to “fit in” with other businesses, and at their own expense. Even still, most businesses that I’ve encountered have some aspect of their work that adds no productivity or value, yet they continue to “go about their business” anyway.

However, I need to be clear… the asterisk in the title is there for a reason. The message conveyed is both good and right in its true nature, not to be confused with or distorted into a message of business driven by greed, hedonism or self-gratification. So long as a business’ goals and core values promote good in an ultimate and absolute sense, it’s hard to go wrong. Simply consider how each decision relates back to the mission and vision of the company.

Personally and vocationally speaking, my efforts are focused on helping other businesses, organizations, and individuals to do exactly what I’ve suggested. If we don’t want to do something, we’re certainly not going to be capable of doing our best work. We can put on a good show and do enough to get by, but the world would be so much better if every business and every person was operating at peak potential for the sake of making the world a better place. Let me know what you’re doing that you shouldn’t be, and I’ll do my best to help you do more of what you want* in any way that I can.

Most people with any type of investment account are concerned with the kind of growth their investment will achieve. News sources provide up-to-the-minute stock updates. Talking heads on cable news talk about the likelihood of a recession. All around us, people are concerned with investments. But what most people ignore is investments in themselves. Beyond college, few people pursue any further education or training to advance themself. People want to achieve more, but few will put in the effort to make it happen.

Businesses are often the same. Recently, I spoke with a potential customer about an app for their business. The customer indicated that they were very concerned about losing business to a big-name competitor. They wanted to be able to more effectively compete with the giant in the industry. When I asked what their budget was, they indicated that they had $250. I could tell similar stories about other businesses too.

Are you making investments in your future? Today we have more options than ever to better ourselves. Innumerable websites offer online training, books on any topic can be found to hone your skills, and online groups and forums abound for connecting with others. Are you exploiting those opportunities?

In the end, whether it is our personal life or our business, we must be willing to invest time and money if we wish to see growth. Otherwise, we will constantly be at the bottom of the totem pole wondering why we can never get ahead.

As the new year begins, many of us will be making resolutions. “I’m quitting smoking” or “I’m going to the gym every day”. Typically, these resolutions don’t last into February. Why is that? Maybe it’s because we believe that, magically, just because the year changed our behaviors will change too. This year, instead of focusing on a resolution, why not set measurable goals for the year. For example, instead of a resolution that says “I’ll quit smoking”, you instead set a measurable goal such as “I am going to smoke two less cigarettes each month until I have quit this fall”.

Resolutions frustrate us because we see ourselves as failures when we mess up. When we want to quit smoking, after we’ve messed up once or twice, we abandon the resolution and continue with the old behavior. When we set goals instead, we innately recognize that we have a road to travel to reach our destination. We also acknowledge that there will be bumps along the way on the road to success. A setback today does not end our journey – it merely means we need to keep trying and working harder to reach our goals.

Where you find yourself next January will be determined by what you do this year. If you focus on resolutions, you’ll be in the same place next year with similar resolutions. If, instead, you focus on goals; you’ll start to see your life progress in the direction you want.